Rita Engelland

Rita Marian (Miller) Engelland, 100 years and 5 months of Sidney Nebraska went to be with her Lord and Savior on Thursday, December 21, 2017 at Northshore Health and Rehab Center in Loveland, Colorado. Cremation has taken place and there will be no visitation.

A Memorial Service will be held at St Paul’s Lutheran Church located at 1424 Maple Street in Sidney, NE at 1:30pm on Monday, May 28, 2018. A reception will follow at the Legion Park Shelter House in Sidney. A memorial fund has been established at St Paul’s Lutheran Church.

Memorials have been established to the St. Paul’s Lutheran Church.

Rita was born July 11, 1917 in Venedy, Illinois to John and Mary Miller. In 1919 Rita moved with her family to Potter, Nebraska where her father worked for the Union Pacific Railroad. As her father was promoted they moved with the railroad to various towns including Bushnell, Bronson, Paxton, and Sidney, Nebraska. While she was an elementary student at Bronson she met Walter Engelland who proclaimed that he was going to marry her someday. She was confirmed at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church north of Potter and graduated from Paxton High School in 1935. After graduation she moved back to Sidney, where she worked as a housekeeper. She joined a church youth group and it just happened to be the same group Walter Engelland belonged to. Yes, the rest is history, they were married April 18, 1937 and she became a farmer’s wife. To this union five children were born. They lived in the same farmhouse for 75 years where they raised their children.

Rita was a lifetime member to the Missouri Synod Lutheran Church, Ladies Aid, and LWML. She was an avid quilter and made 100s of totally hand-stitched quilts up until she was 95 years young. Many of her quilts have found a home all across the country through various family members and friends. Some of the quilts were recently displayed at the Sterling Colorado Library. She was the center of the family, canned vegetables from her many gardens, prepared countless delicious home cooked meals for farm hands and for anyone who would drop in for a visit. She was famous for her burnt sugar cake and her delicious roast beef dinner. She was loved by many and will be missed greatly.

Rita was preceeded in death by her parents, baby sister, Rose Marie, husband, Walter, infant daughter, Carol Jean, and one brother Eugene Miller.

Survivors include daughters, Beverly Marshall of Loveland, CO, Gloria Rose of Marana, AZ, sons Ronald (Vicki) Engelland of Sidney, NE and Timothy (Roxi) Engelland of Gering, NE, one brother and sister-in-law Reuben and Mary Miller of Akron OH, two sisters-in-law, Charlene Miller of Lexington, SC and Irma Loitz of Grant Park, IL, 8 grandchildren: Gwen Marshall of Littleton, CO, Patrick (Caren) Marshall of Loveland, CO, Leigh Ann (Toby) Ellis of Loveland, CO, Matthew (Lonni) Engelland of Loveland, CO, Ryan (Marian) Engelland of San Rafael, CA, Shawn (Kelly) Rose of Marana, AZ, Marcie (Sean) Warner of Arvada, CO and Lacy (Phil) Smay of Sidney, NE, 15 great-grandchildren, 2 great-great grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.

Holechek Funeral Home and Cremations in Sidney is serving the Engelland family.